Henri IV of France - SpeedyLook encyclopedia

Biography

Youth

Henri IV was born with the Château from Pau. The legend says that he would have been baptized with a clove of garlic and a wine drop of Jurançon, and that its cradle was a carapace of tortoise. By the will of his grandfather Henri d' Albret, Henri passes his early childhood in the countryside of his country where he has fun with the children of the peasants of the corner. He grows with the castle of Coarraze. He is educated in the greatest moral straightness. Faithful to the spirit of the Reform, his/her mother takes care to inform it according to the precepts of this judgment. To died of the king François II in 1560, his/her father brings it to the court of France where it raises it in the Catholic religion. Henri grows with Saint-Germain-in-Bush hammer at the sides of the small king and the royal princes. Protected by Renee de France during the first war of religion, it receives after the death of his father in 1563, the loads that this one had. It accompanies the royal family lasting her large turn by France. It is on this occasion which it finds his mother that it had not seen for several years. After the large turn of France, it turns over food with his mother and turns over to the Protestant religion.

King de Navarre

At the court of France

In 1572, succeeding his/her mother Jeanne d' Albret, Henri de Navarre becomes king of Navarre under the name of Henri III . Certain authors claim however that it would have already been it in a titular way as of 1562 (death of Antoine of Bourbon, king consort ) while at the same time the throne of Navarre did not come on the paternal side. Jeanne d' Albret was Protestant E, and had raised his/her son according to this religion. She moreover had declared the Calvin ism official religion in Navarre.

The August 18th 1572, Henri is married with Marguerite de France, sister of the king Charles {{Rom|IX}}, also known under the name of “Margot queen”. This marriage to which had been opposed Jeanne d' Albret, was arranged to support the reconciliation between catholics and Protestants, creating a problem because Margot, being catholic, can marry only in front of one priest, and Henri, it, cannot enter a church. But the queens mothers find the solution. Margot and Henri will celebrate their marriage on the square of Notre-Dame. Follow ten feastdays. However, in a climate very tended to Paris, and following an attack against Gaspard de Coligny, the marriage is followed a few days later of the Massacre of the St. Bartholomew's Day Massacre. Saved by the massacres, Henri is constrained to convert with the Catholicisme.

Interdict to leave the court, it follows the king in his displacements, it takes part in the seat of the La Rochelle and binds politically with the duke of Alençon. After its participation in the plots of Malcontents, it is made prisoner at the side of Alençon (1574). If the leniency of the king makes him avoid the capital punishment, there remains prisoner. With the advent of Henri III, it recovers a pretense of freedom but royal suspicion maintains the monitoring on its person. It receives with Lyon the forgiveness of the new king and takes part in the ceremony of the sacring in Rheims.

Court of Nérac

Four years after its marriage, it benefits from the disorders to flee. Having regained its kingdom of Navarre and its government of Guyenne, it joins again with the Protestantisme (the February 5th 1576) and installs its court with Nérac. In 1578, the queen mother, Catherine de Médicis visit him to bring back his Marguerite wife for him and thus to pacify the kingdom.

The catch of Cahors, in May 1580, where it succeeds in avoiding plundering and massacre in spite of three days of street battles, is worth to him a great prestige at the same time for its courage and its humanity.

The Navarre couple carries out a good progress of life, that about which the pastors complain. The female adventures of the king create the discord within the couple and cause its departure in Paris. The blow of glare of Marguerite with Agen (1585) consumes their rupture.

Heir to the throne of France

In 1584, the brother of king de France, François d' Alençon dies without heir and the king Henri III even does not have any to him. This one then sends to Nérac an extraordinary embassy directed by the duke of Épernon to confirm Henri de Navarre like his legitimate heir. Only a few months later constrained by the Own way to sign the treaty of Nemours, he declares the war to him and puts out the law all the Protestants. The rumor says that in one night, half of the moustache of Henri IV bleaches.

Begin a conflict then where Henri de Navarre faces on several occasions the duke of Mayenne. Henri is again made excommunicate by the pope, then must face the royal army which it beats with the Bataille of Coutras in 1587.

Several reversals appear in 1588. The death of the prince Henri de Condé places it at the head of the Protestants. The assassination surprised of the duke of Own way leads it to be reconciled with Henri III. The two kings find both with the Château of Plessis-lez-Turns and sign a treaty on April 30th, 1589. Combined against the League which controls Paris and most of the kingdom of France, they manage to put the seat in front of Paris in July. The 1589, a few moments before dying of the wounds inflicted by the fanatic monk Jacques Clement, the king Henri {{Romanian|III}} formally recognizes his/her brother-in-law and cousin king de Navarre like his legitimate successor, and this one becomes king Henri IV .

For Henri IV begin the long reconquest of the kingdom, because the three quarters of the French do not recognize it for king. The Catholique S of the Ligue refuse to recognize the legitimacy of this succession.

King de France

The conquest of the kingdom of France

Conscious of his weaknesses, Henri IV must initially start by conquering the spirits. The catholic royalists ask him to abjure Protestantism, him which at nine years had already changed three times of religion. He refuses, but in a declaration published on August 4th, he indicates that he will respect the Catholic religion. Many hesitates to follow it, certain Protestants as Trémoïlle leave even the army, which passes from 40 000 with 20 000 men.

Weakened, Henri IV must give up the head office of Paris because the lords return on their premises, not wanting to serve a Protestant. Supported by the Spain, the members of a league start again the hostilities, forcing it to fold up itself personally with Dieppe, because of alliance with the queen Elisabeth I {{Re}} of England, while its troops ebb everywhere.

However, Henri IV is victorious of Charles of Lorraine, duke of Mayenne the September 29th 1589 at the time of the Bataille of Arch. To the support of noble, huguenots and policies reassured by this solid and human war leader, are added those of Conti and Montpensier (princes of blood), Longueville, Luxembourg and Rohan-Montbazon, dukes and pars, of the marshals Biron and of Aumont, and rather many noble (Champagne, Picardy, Ile-de-France). He fails thereafter to take again Paris, but takes by storm Vendôme. There too, it takes care that the churches remain intact, and so that the inhabitants do not suffer from the passage of its army. Thanks to this example, all the cities between Turns and Mans go without combat. It again beats the Members of a league and the Spaniards with Ivry the March 14th 1590, starves Paris, but cannot take the city, which is supplied by the Spaniards.

The Protestants reproach him for not giving them freedom of worship: in July 1591, it restores by the edict of Mantes provisions of the edict of Poitiers (1577), which gave them freedom of worship. The duke of Mayenne, then in war against Henri IV , convenes the General states in January 1593, with an aim of electing a new king. But he is thwarted: the States negotiate with the party of the king, obtain a truce, then its conversion. Encouraged by the love of its life, Gabrielle d' Estrées, and especially very conscious of the exhaustion of the involved forces, as well at the moral level as financial, Henri IV , in fine policy, chooses to abjure the faith calvinist. The April 4th 1592, by a declaration known under the name of “ Dispatches ”, Henri IV its intention announces to be informed in the Catholic religion.

Henri IV solemnly abjure the Protestantisme, the July 25th 1593 in the basilica Saint-Denis. One lent to him, well wrongly, the word according to which “Paris is worth a mass” (1593), even if the bottom seems full with direction. In addition, it keeps the confidence of the Protestants, brought together with Mantes from October 8th, 1593 to January 22nd, 1594: it guarantees the edict of 1577 to them, with the worship authorized everywhere, including at the Court and in the military camps. In order to accelerate the rallying of the cities and the provinces (and their governors), it multiplies the promises and the gifts, for a total of 25 000 000 of delivers S. the consecutive increase in the taxes (multiplication by 2,7 of the size) causes the revolt of crunching the in the provinces most faithful to the king, Poitou, Saintonge, the Limousin and Périgord.

Henri IV is crowned the February 27th 1594 in the cathedral of Chartres. Its entry in Paris the March 22nd 1594 and, to finish, the discharge granted by the pope Clement VIII the September 17th 1595, ensure to him the progressive rallying of all the nobility and the remainder of the population, in spite of very strong reserves of the exaltés opponents, such this Jean Châtel which tries to assassinate the king close to Louvre the December 27th 1594. It beats in a final way the army of the Ligue to Fountain-Frenchwoman.

In 1595, Henri IV declare officially the war against Spain. The king then tests enormous difficulties of pushing back the Spanish attacks in Picardy. The catch of Amiens by the Spaniards and the unloading of a Hispanic troop in Brittany where the governor Philippe Emmanuel of Lorraine, Duke of Mercoeur, cousins of the Own way and brother-in-law of fire king Henri III still does not recognize Henri IV for king, this one in a perilous situation leaves.

After having subjected Brittany, Henri IV sign the April 13rd 1598, the Édit of Nantes. The two armies being with end of forces, the May 2nd 1598 is signed the peace of Vervins between France and Spain. After several decades of civil wars, France knows finally peace.

The marriage

Henri IV approaches around fifty and still does not have a legitimate heir. For a few years, beautiful the Gabrielle d' Estrée division its bed but the lady has not had enough nobility to claim with becoming queen. Behaving in France's First Lady, Gabrielle is the subject of devotion of the courtiers but also causes criticisms of the royal entourage. Its death which has occurred brutally in 1599, makes it possible Henri to take a new wife worthy of her row.

In December 1599, it obtains the cancellation of its marriage with the queen Marguerite, and marries, in Lyon, the December 17th 1600, Marie de Médicis (April 26th 1573 - July 3rd 1642), girl of François de Médicis large-duke of Toscane and Jeanne of Austria. The birth of a dolphin the following year stabilizes the authority of the new king.

Henri IV compromises his marriage and his crown by continuing his relation extraconjugale with Henriette d' Entragues, young woman ambitious, who does not hesitate to make blackmail with the king, to legitimate the children whom it had of him. Her pushed back requests, Henriette d' Entragues plots on several occasions against her royal lover.

Rebuilding and pacification of the kingdom

Henri IV rest, to control, on qualified ministers and advisers like Sully and Barthélemy de Laffemas. The years of peace make it possible to reinflate the cases. Henri IV fact of building the large gallery of the Louvre which connects the palate to Tileries. It sets up a modern policy of town planning. It continues thus the construction of the New Pont started under its predecessor. It makes build in Paris two new places, the Royale place (today Place of the Vosges) and the Dauphine place.

Its reign sees the massive rising of the peasants in the center of the country and the king must intervene with the head of his army. In 1601, it also intervenes against the Duc of Savoy which during the wars of religion had been allowed to take possession of the Bresse and of the Bugey. After having given it to its place, Henri IV must face several plots directed since the Spain and the Savoy. It thus makes carry out the duke of Biron and embastiller the duke of Angouleme, the last of Valois.

To reassure the former partisans of the League, Henri IV also support the entry in France of the Jésuite S which during the war had called with the assassination of the king, creates a “case of conversions” in 1598. It reconciles with the duke of Lorraine Charles III and Marie with the son of this one, his sister Catherine of Bourbon.

Gradually, France must be given in state. The agricultural production finds its level of 1560 in 1610. The desire of peace is unanimous: it supports the installation of the edict of Nantes, the rebuilding, in Languedoc and the North of France, has an domino effect on all the economy.

The company remains however violent: the congédiés soldiers form militarily organized bands which foam the campaigns, and which must be continued militarily to disappear gradually in the years 1600. The nobility remains it also violent: 4000 died by duel in 1607, removals of young girls to be married cause private wars, where there too the king must intervene.

The assassination

The end of the reign of Henri IV is marked by the tensions with Habsbourg and the resumption of the war against Spain. Henri IV intervenes in the quarrel which opposes the emperor catholic confession to the Protestant princes German that it supports, in the succession of Clèves and Juliers. The escape of the prince de Condé in 1609 at the court of the infante Isabelle revives the tensions between Paris and Brussels. Henri IV estimates his army lends to take again the conflict which had stopped ten years earlier.

Of a European war, neither the concerned pope of peace between Christian princes likes the release, nor on the anxious French subjects of their peace. In dissension with the king, the catholic priests arise their virulent sermons which revive the old disturbed spirits of the League. The king also sees a party which opposes its policy with the center even of the entourage of the queen. The king is in a fragile position which is not only the fact of the catholics, since the Protestants seek to maintain in spite of the edict of Nantes their political privileges.

While preparing the war, one prepares with the official crowning of the queen in Saint-Denis which is held on May 13rd, 1610. The following day, Henri IV dies assassinated by Ravaillac. It is buried with the Basilique Saint-Denis. His/her oldest son Louis (Louis {{Romanian|XIII}}), nine years old, succeeds to him, under the regency of his/her mother the queen Marie de Médicis.

Children

Henri IV had six children of his marriage with Marie de Médicis:

Louis {{Romanian|XIII}} (September 27th 1601 - May 14th 1643)
Elisabeth de France (November 22nd 1602 - October 6th 1644), wife Philippe {{Romanian|IV}} king d' Espagne the November 25th 1615 with Bordeaux
Christine Marie (February 10th 1606 - December 27th 1663), wife Victor-Amédée {{Ier}} of Savoy (1587 - 1637) the February 10th 1619 with Paris
Nicolas Henri (April 13rd 1607 - November 17th 1611), 1st duke of Orleans
Gaston de France (April 25th 1608 - February 2nd 1660)
Henriette de France (November 25th 1609 - September 10th 1669), wife Charles {{Ier}} of England the June 13rd 1625, with the Cathedral of Canterbury.

Illegitimate descendants

Henri IV also had 11 illegitimate children:

Three with its mistress Gabrielle d' Estrée:

César (1594 - 1665), duke of Vendôme
Catherine Henriette (1596 - 1663), known as Miss de Vendôme , married to Charles {{Romanian|II}} of Lorraine, duke of Tweed.
Alexandre (1598 - 1629), known as the Knight of Vendôme

Three also with Catherine Henriette de Balzac d' Entragues:

a son, born in 1600, whose name
Gaston-Henri is unknown for us (1601 - 1682), bishop of Metz
Gabrielle-Angelica (1602 - 1627), Miss de Verneuil

Only one with Jacqueline de Bueil:

Antoine of Bourbon (1607 - 1632), count de Moret

Two with Charlotte of Essarts:

Jeanne-Baptist of Bourbon (1608 - 1670), abbess of Fontevrault
Marie Henriette (1608 - 1629), abbess of Chelles

The Legend of good king Henri

It is at the XVIIIe century which the legend of good king Henri developed who became so popular that it remained about it a Image of Épinal. In the honor of Henri IV, Voltaire writes in 1728 a poem entitled Henriade.

In spite of this positive image, its tomb of Saint-Denis does not escape the profanation in 1793, due to the hatred of the monarchical symbols under the French revolution. The Convention had ordered the opening of all the royal tombs to extract metals from them. The body of Henri IV is the only one of all the kings to being found in an excellent state of conservation. It is exposed to the passers by, upright, during a few days. The royal skins are then thrown, shovel-mixes, in a common grave to the north of the basilica. Louis XVIII will order their exhumation and their return in the crypt, where they are today.

Since 1814, one thinks of restoring the equestrian statue of the king destroyed under the Revolution. Melted in 1818, the new equestrian statue was carried out starting from the bronze of the statue of Napoleon of the Colonne Vendôme. The romantic century perennializes the legend of a gallant king and catch, playing four legs with his/her children.

The Château of Pau continues to cultivate the legend of the good king Henri . One can see still there his made cradle of a shell of Turtle. It is in the tradition inhabitant of Béarn that its first baptism was done: its lips were moistened of wine of Jurançon and were rubbed garlic, this to give him force and strength. Its nickname of “Green-gallant”, that it must with its heat towards its many mistresses, seems to confirm that.

More recently, the contemporary Historiographie restored the image of a king who was not always appreciated by his subjects and which had much evil to make accept its policy. Before being liked of the people, Henri IV was one of the most hated kings, his effigy flaring and his name associated with the devil. Because of the daily hammering of the priests members of a league during the last war of religion, one counts twelve attempted murders against Henri IV, of which Jean Châtel in 1594 and Pierre Barrière in Orleans. Its assassination is even lived by certain like a delivery, so much so that a rumor of a news St. Bartholomew's Day Massacre spreads itself during the summer 1610. The growing popularity of the king can hold with his attitude at the time of the seats: it takes care that the cities taken are not plundered, and their saved inhabitants (and this, as of the seat of Cahors in 1580). It also shows magnanime with its former enemies members of a league, in particular after the rendering of Paris. He prefers to buy the rallyings, that to make the war to conquer his kingdom. Contemporary historiography also confirmed the real attachment of the king for the Catholicisme after its conversion, in spite of a retreat marked with regard to the religious dogmas which they are catholic or Protestant.

One also made say to Henri IV many things, sometimes wrongly or rightly:

I have the armed wing and the bottom on the saddle.
I want that there is not so poor peasant in my kingdom which it does not have every Sunday his boiled chicken.
Paris is worth a mass. (during its conversion)
You with my white plume rejoin. (at the time of the battle of Ivry)

the number 14

According to G. Lenotre of the makers of horoscopes made erudite calculations to affirm that the king was to perish a 14 May:

" Henri IV calculated was born 14 centuries, 14 decades and 14 years after the nativity of the Saver, it came in the world on December 14th (note from Lenotre: Light distorsion with the chronology. Henri IV had been born on December 13rd, 1553.) and the 14 of May died; he lived 4 times 14 years, 14 weeks and 14 days; there are 14 letters in its name Henri de Bourbon". Source: Tileries per G. Lenotre, Paris 1933, page 18.

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